Kurikulum Merdeka In Arabic Language Instruction At Madrasah Aliyah: A Narrative Review Of Opportunities, Challenges, And Teacher Readiness

Abstract

This narrative review examines the pedagogical opportunities, implementation challenges, and dimensions of teacher readiness regarding Kurikulum Merdeka in Arabic language instruction at Madrasah Aliyah. Employing a narrative literature review approach, literature records were purposively gathered from Google Scholar, institutional repositories, and reference cross-referencing, covering peer-reviewed publications and policy documents published between 2020 and 2026. A final corpus of 42 sources was selected for thematic analysis. The thematic synthesis reveals that the selected studies frequently report significant pedagogical opportunities, particularly enhanced instructional flexibility, project-based learning via P5-PPRA, and authentic assessment reform. However, these opportunities are reportedly constrained by structural-governance barriers stemming from dual ministry regulations, pedagogical-methodological gaps rooted in the entrenched grammar-translation tradition, and resource-infrastructural limitations that disproportionately affect rural madrasahs. Regarding teacher readiness, the literature indicates an asymmetric interpretive profile: while affective motivation and openness to reform are widely reported as positive, cognitive understanding and technological competence are frequently described as underdeveloped, largely attributed to fragmented institutional support. The study concludes that translating policy aspirations into classroom practice requires harmonised regulatory frameworks and sustained, subject-specific professional learning ecosystems. As an interpretive synthesis, these findings provide a conceptual map for policymakers and madrasah leaders, while highlighting the need for future empirical research to validate these thematic patterns.